Tally



1940- w. M. SHERRILL ET AL. 2,190,126

TALLY Filed May 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS.

WM .Jizermill llflj'zgmz mmvrons.

MN QM Feb. 13, 1940. w. M. SHERRILL ET AL TALLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WMJ/zerwz'll JljLBrganZ INVENTORS.

ATTORNEYS Filed May 13, 1938 I- I'll Patented Feb. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TALLY Application May 13, 1938, Serial No. 207,808

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a tally or counter designed primarily for use in registering plays in baseball and other games, one of the objects being to provide a simple and compact device which can be handled readily and which, by the depression of suitably designated keys, will release balls or other movable indicatin devices. so that, at the completion of an particular period of a game, the number of plays of each kind will be indicated by m the number of released devices which have been accumulated at a particular point on the tally.

With the foregoin and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the tally, the various releasable indicators being shown assembled prior to their release and before the start of a game.

Figure 2 is. a section on line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 taken 80 through a portion of the structure and showing the relative positions of the parts when a key is depressed.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the guide bars forming a part of the tally.

85 Figure 6 is a View partly in bottom plan and partly in section of a portion of the tally and showing portions of some of the key levers as well as their resilient supports.

Figure 7 is an enlarged section on line 'l-l,

Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a portion of one oi the key levers.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference l designates a shallow box-like structure which can be iorrncu of wood or any other suitable material and provided back from the front end thereof with. a transverse partition 2, the front end of the structure terminating below the level of the top edge of partition as shown at 3.

Fitted between the sides of the box-like structure or body of the tally are parallel contacting guide strips each of which has a longitudinal channel 5 in one side thereof, the top of the channel being partly cut away so that when these strips are assembled in contact and side by side,

slots 6 will be formed along the tops of the respective channels, the width of each slot being less than the corresponding dimension of the channel 5 thereunder.

These strips extend from the partition 2 to the a back wall l of the body l and, as shown particularly in Figure 5, each strip is provided in that space thereof opposite its channel, with a recess "i and a rod groove 8, the said groove being extended from top to bottom of the guide strip and 1 directly opposite an upwardly extending channel 9 which extends from the bottom of the strip 4 to the bottom of the channel 5 therein.

The several strips are held together by any suitable means, suchas dowels Hi extending l5 transversely therethrough.

Extending upwardly into the lower portion of partition 2 is a plurality of parallel slots I! and movably supported in each slot is a key lever 12 having an ear 53 which extends into recess 1 where it is joined to bar 4 by a pivot pin 14 which can be in the form of a screw. That end of each key lever located in frontof' the partition 2 is upturned and carries, a key 25 while the back portion of each key lever it. has an upwardly and 25 backwardly inclined arm 16 adapted to work up and down within the broad groove 8 in the adjacent guide strip i. The upper end of this arm 16 has a rearwardly extended finger i1 and extending laterally from the finger is a stop ear I8 30 while another stop ear 5.) is extended laterally from arm it, these two cars being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of a ball 23 adapted to be seated in the channel 5 at one side of arm I6.

Spring strips it are fastened to the bottoms of the guide strips t and have movable ends 22 extended laterally therefrom and under the adjacent levers 52 so as to constantly exert upward pressures against these levers at points between 40 the keys l5 and the pivots it.

When each key lever is inits normal position, the lower stop ear i9 is seated within the groove 9 adjacent thereto while the forward portion of the lever is held against the upper end of its slot H by the spring 2! engaging said lever. Thus the upper stop ear i8 is supported transversely within the channel 5, it being understood that the width of this upper stop car it! is slightly less than the width of the slot 6 at the top of 50 the channel so that the ear is thus free to move upwardly into said slot. Normally, however, the ear I3 is located entirely within the channel 5 as shown in Figure 3 while ear i9 is located entirely in the groove 9 as shown in said figure. I5

it will stand directly beside the numeral 1.

The number of levers l2 depends upon the number of channels used. In the structure illustrated one of the side walls of the body I has been channeled longitudinally as shown at 23 to correspond with the channels 5 and this channel 23 is to be used for the same purpose as the other channels. All of the channels are adapted to hold balls which can be metal, any desired number being located in each channel and all of the balls in each channel normally being located back of the upper stop ear l8 as shown in Figures 1 and 3. That portion of each channel in front of the stop ears can be designated by numerals ranging from 1 upward to 9, for example, the number 1 being located nearest the partition 2 and the numbers being arranged in proper numerical succession backwardly from the partition. Each number indicates a space in the channel of substantially the same size as the diameter of one of the balls 20.

On the partition 2 can be arranged characters for designating the different channels in the tally. For example one channel can be designated by the letter R meaning runs. Another channel can be designated by the letter H indicating hits. Another channel can he designated by the letter E designating errors. Another channel can be designated by the letter I indicating innings. A fifth channel can be designated by the letter indicating outs. These and other characters can be used for indicating the different channels and for indicating the different types of plays. Of course if some other game is played the indications would differ.

' These indications on partition 2 correspond with similar ones arranged on the cliiierent keys, it being understood that a key bearing the letter R is to be located on one of the levers extending in front of the channel R; the character H is to be located on a lever extending in front of a channel designated by the letter.H; the letter E is to be on a key carried by a lever extending in front of the channel designated by the letter Ef, etc.

At the start of a game all of the balls are located in the back portions of-their channels where they are held by the top ears l8. When a play is made the proper key is depressed. For example if a player makes a hit, the lever bearing the key H is depressed. This causes the stop ear I 8 to move upwardly from the position shown in Figure 3 to a point above the level of the-balls 2i? and the channel and at the same time the stop ear i9 is moved upwardly into the path of these balls so as to hold them after the first ball has moved forwardly a distance substantially equal to its diameter, namely, from the position occupied by it when it was in engagement with ear It to its position against ear l9. This depression of lever 52 by key l5 places its spring 2! under increased tension. When the key is released the parts return to their normal positions. ear IS moving downwardly out of the path of the first ball 2t while the upper ear it moves downwardly into the path of the second ball.

The released ball thus gravitates forwardly within its channel until it reaches the partition 2 where As each of the other plays is made the lever corresponding therewith is actuated so that at the end of any particular period the number of balls located in the forward end portions of the different channels will indicate the number of those particular plays which have been made during that period- It is of course desirable to have this tally mounted in an inclined position while in use so that the halls will gravitate forwardly when released. For this purpose a stiiT wire is bent to provide V-shaped legs 24 which extend downwardly through elongated slots 25 in the bottom portion of the body I. The wire also provides oppositely extending pivot pins 25 and 21 which bear in the sides of the body I, one of them being extended through one of the sides and merging into a handle 28. At an intermediate portion the wire is offset, as shown at 29 so as to form. a spring which is adapted to wipe along the lower edge of a cam til when the legs are swung by shifting the handle 28. In other words this in-- termediate or spring portion is adapted to wipe along the stationary cam surface of the member 30 until it comes against a stop shoulder 3| at which time the legs will be held downwardly extended through the slot in the bottom of the body so that the said body thus will be supported in its inclined position.

After the completion of the counting of plays, the tally can be inclined downwardly and backwardly and the keys worked up and down so that the balls will be successively released and free to roll backwardly to the rear portions of their channels.

If desired spring clips 32 can be connected to one of the walls of the body for the purpose of holding a card or the like containing the names of the players, or any other desirable information.

What is claimed is:

A tally including a body, parallel strips secured therein and arranged side by side, each strip having a longitudinal channel in one side thereof and recesses in the opposite side thereof, the top wall of each channel being cut away to provide a longitudinal slot between the strips, each channel providing means for holding a series of balls mounted to roll within the channel, a key lever associated with each channel and having an ear and an end arm mounted within the respective recesses in the strip opposite to the channel with which the lever is associated, means between the strips for pivotally engaging the ears of the key levers and pivotally supporting said levers, yielding means for holding the key levers normally in predetermined positions, upper and lower stop projections carried by the end arm of each key lever and positioned for movement into and out of the channel with which the lever is associated, said stops being relatively positioned whereby, when the lever is oscillated, the balls will be successively released for gravitation past the stops toward one end of the channel in which the balls are seated.

WILLIAM M. SHERRILL. PEGRAM A. BRYANT. 

